Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday, an event that drew a bipartisan group of lawmakers and celebrities to the Kennedy Center even as the institution remains embroiled in political turmoil over President Trump's involvement and a planned rebranding.
The ceremony unfolded weeks after a federal judge blocked efforts to rename the Kennedy Center after Trump and halted a two-year closure for renovations—moves that had been pushed by the president, who last year installed himself as chairman of the center's board in an unprecedented power grab. Despite the uncertainty, figures from both parties made a point of attending.
“It’s kind of goofy if you’re going to boycott coming here to an event,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said on the red carpet. “I don’t care what name’s on the building, I’m going to show up, especially if I have an opportunity to honor Bill Maher.”
Fetterman, who has maintained a reputation for crossing party lines, was among several lawmakers who praised Maher’s broad appeal. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Maher invited him after a recent appearance on his HBO show, noting that both Democrats and Republicans enjoy his humor. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) called Maher “inquisitive” with a “commonsense approach to politics,” adding, “I wish I could duplicate him and get him elected to office.”
The presence of Trump’s shadow was unmistakable. A tarp covered the Kennedy Center’s name on the building’s exterior, and a portrait of the president hung near the red carpet. Maher, a frequent Trump critic, used his acceptance speech to fire back at the president, who had previously called him a “highly overrated lightweight.”
“The president, when he is in attack mode, never fails to say that I am part of the lunatic left,” Maher said. “Well, he’s not wrong that there is one—I’m just not part of it. And there sure is a lunatic right.”
Jay Leno, a former “Tonight Show” host, delivered a series of jabs at Trump’s expense, quipping that “President Trump not happy about giving Bill this award” and speculating that next year’s recipient might be Bad Bunny, whom Trump has criticized. Stephen A. Smith called the award a “testament to the First Amendment and free speech.”
The event also highlighted the ongoing political battles over the Kennedy Center’s future. Trump’s push to rename the venue and close it for renovations has drawn legal challenges, with a judge blocking both actions in May. The board has appealed. Meanwhile, Maher’s ties to Trump remain complicated: he dined at the White House last year, but the White House initially dismissed reports of the award as “fake news” before reversing course.
Maher closed the night by thanking his critics. “You have helped me more than you could know,” he said. “Because of you, I never got complacent. I never believed my own press, because there wasn’t any. I never phoned it in. I never lost my edge.”
The ceremony, which also featured performances by Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Louis C.K., and John Mellencamp, will stream on Netflix starting July 21.
For more on the political dynamics at play, read about Fetterman's bipartisan moves in Pennsylvania and the broader tensions within the GOP over Trump's influence.
